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Thursday, 20 October 2011

• Maryam Rajavi warned of another massacre due to Iraqi government’s obstructions against international attempts for peaceful resolution of Ashraf case

NCRI - In an international conference held on Tuesday October 18 in Brussels at the invitation of Belgian Committee of Friends of a Free Iran, a number of representatives of the European Parliament and Belgium Parliament as well as international prominent figures from US and Europe, while referring to revelation of the terrorist plot of the mullahs’ regime’s Quds Force in US, emphasized the need for confronting the Iranian regime which is the central banker for terrorism in the world.

The speakers in the conference underscored that confronting this regime and standing against it primarily needs to take correct practical measure regarding its main opposition, namely the movement under the leadership of Mrs. Rajavi. Without siding with the opposition, even sanctions have trivial impact. This has doubled the need for protection of Ashraf.

Ashraf is the most significant factor in confronting the religious and terrorist dictatorship that is moving toward acquiring nuclear bomb. At the same time, defending Ashraf is in line with promotion of democracy and human rights and defending the Region Spring.

The speakers to the conference were: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance؛ Struan Stevenson President of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq in European parliament (Presenter of Europe’s proposal for resolving Ashraf crisis); Ryszard Czarnecki, MEP; Senator Peter Van Rompuy, President of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq in Belgian Senate; Gerald Kindermans, Senator, David Clarinval member of Belgian parliament and mayor.

Also, prominent American and European dignitaries including Governor Howard Dean, former head of the Democratic Party (2005-2009) and the US Presidential candidate; Governor Tom Ridge, the first US Secretary of Homeland Security (2003-2005); Judge Michael Mukasey, former US Attorney General (2007-2009); General James Conway, Commandant of the US Marine Corps (2006-2010); Nontombi Tutu, human rights activist and the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and COL Wesley Martin, former commander of the Coalition counter-terrorism in Iraq and the Commander of US Military Police in Ashraf, delivered their speeches in the conference.

The key speaker, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, president elect of the Iranian Resistance, while emphasizing that the continuation of the appeasement policy with the clerical regime would only lead to catastrophe, said: “Now that the octopus of the religious dictatorship in Iran has extended its tentacles to Washington, DC, the United States should certainly take a lesson from this important event.

The first lesson to be learnt is from the great error of deviation from the counter-terrorism effort. Instead of targeting the central banker of terrorism, they targeted its opposition. They, therefore, paved the way for the advance of the real terrorists.”

She added, “If the United States were to take the right lessons from this development, it would certainly apologize to the Iranian nation for the unjust designation which was in effect participation in suppression. The second lesson is that the Iranian regime will never abandon terrorism, and if it is contained to within Iran, it will collapse from within.

The third lesson to be learnt is that a policy of conciliation and appeasement of this terrorist and dictatorial regime is either out of folly or is a deception to justify appeasement of this regime.”

She added, “By bowing to the religious fascism in Iran, the US has gained nothing but its savage terrorism in the heart of Washington DC.”

Reminding that the terrorist Qods Force takes orders only from the regime’s supreme religious leader, particularly for its operation in Washington DC, Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that Khamenei should be tried for crimes against humanity in an international court.

She also warned the United States and Europe not to repeat their mistakes of the past three decades in the face of the Iranian regime’s terrorism and not to try to save the regime in its entirety or Khamenei in particular.

In this regard, she asked for referring the Iranian regime’s terrorism file and its violations of human rights to the UN Security Council and implementing a full oil boycott of this regime and stopping fueling its suppressive machinery.

Maryam Rajavi added,” The time has come to delist the resistance movement that is the victim of Western appeasement of this regime.”

President-elect of the Iranian Resistance blamed the European states and the United States of America for their sitting idly by in the face of another massacre which is being advanced under the guise of the Iraqi deadline for closure of Ashraf.

She warned them that if they do not stop the Iraqi government’s flouting of International Law and its effort to destroy Ashraf residents today, tomorrow will be too late.

She unveiled that the Iranian Resistance has received evidence and intelligence from within the regime that shows the Iraqi Government, on pretext of its deadline to close Ashraf, and on orders of Khamenei is preparing to attack Ashraf. The Iraqi government is obstructing UN agencies work in resolving the Ashraf issue. They are for instance applying pressure to disrupt the work of the UNHCR in determining the refugee status of Ashraf residents.

“Extensive political, security, and economic relations with Iraq, enables Western governments to pressure the Iraqis to abide by international norms,” she said reiterating that “the time has come for the UN Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to act to station UN monitors in Ashraf and to cancel the suppressive deadline set by the Iraqi government. The time has come for Western governments to stand alongside the Iranian Resistance that represents the will of the Iranian people for freedom, democracy, separation of religion and state, gender equality and a non-nuclear Iran,” she said.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 18, 2011

International Conference at European Parliament in Brussels: European-US call for annulment of Iraqi government suppressive deadline to close Ashraf• Maryam Rajavi: I warn that a humanitarian catastrophe is looming; we should not lose time to stop it

NCRI - In an international conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, 19 October 2011, prominent international figures from the United States and Europe expressed their concern about the ominous intents of the Iranian regime and the Iraqi government against Ashraf residents. They called for the annulment of the illegal end-of-2011 deadline for closure of Camp Ashraf and prevention of another massacre.

The conference called on the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and western governments to adopt urgent measures to ensure protection of Ashraf and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to obligate the Iraqi government to remove its deadline until the resettlement of all residents to third countries.

The conference in particular blamed the United States for its failure to abide by its responsibility to protect the residents. The conference emphasized that the U.S. would be fully responsible for another bloodbath in Ashraf. The conference also called on the U.S. President and the State Department to remove the PMOI from the FTO list as a first essential step to ensure protection of Ashraf.

Speakers to the conference, presided by Mr. James Higgins, member of the European Parliament Bureau, were: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance; Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Vice President of the European Parliament; Mr. Stephen Hughes, Vice President of the Socialist Group; Louis Michel, MEP and former Belgian Foreign Minister and European Commissioner; Judge Michael Mukasey, former U.S. Attorney General (2007-09); Louis Freeh, Director of FBI (1993-2001); Günter Verheugen, European Commissioner (1999-2009) and former Advisory Minister in German Foreign Ministry; Colonel Wesley Martin, former Coalition’s counter terrorism commander in Iraq and former U.S. security commander in Ashraf.

In this conference, with participation of dozens of members of the European Parliament, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, based on the Resistance’s sources inside Iran, revealed the joint plot by the Iranian regime and Iraqi government to attack Ashraf and occupy another section of the camp which will lead to another massacre.

She added: “Currently, the Iraqi government is making military preparations to conduct this plot.” “The Iraqi government wants to disrupt the UNHCR work to confirm refugee status of the residents in a bid to use lack of progress as a pretext for another deadly attack at the end of December,” she said.

Mrs. Rajavi asked Western governments, especially the European Union, that are allocating enormous financial assistance to Iraq to enforce the Iraqi government to abide by its international obligations, including cooperation with Lady Ashton’s special envoy on Ashraf affairs and refraining from hindering the efforts of UN agencies.

She asked the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to station UN monitors at Ashraf as soon as possible as a guarantee to avert the next humanitarian catastrophe. She also urged the United States, all EU Member States, Baroness Ashton and the United Nations to voice protest over Iraqi government’s dangerous deadline for closure of Ashraf by the end of December and to not be witness to another catastrophe about which they were warned in advance

NCRI - The mullahs’ regime and its puppet government in Iraq have assigned Iraqi Foreign Ministry to stage a demonizing campaign against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and Ashraf residents in a bid to set the stage for another massacre.

To fulfill this instruction, Labeed Abbawi, Iraqi deputy Foreign Minister, has prepared a 165-page utterly false report along with several DVDs consisting of forged and irrelevant documents and has sent them to American, European and UN officials and authorities as well as other international authorities.

Through disseminating such misinformation, the Iranian regime primarily plans to influence the U.S. State Department and Embassy in Iraq. This report and similar reports are the type of Iranian regime’s fabrications about hiding imaginary weapons of mass destruction of Iraq in the PMOI bases before war 2003.

In another absurd example over recent years proved to be false by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the mullahs’ regime had accused the PMOI of exploding a bomb in Green-Zone in Baghdad and committing suicide operation in Karbala by women of Ashraf.

Labeed Abbawi’s report was issued simultaneous with Khamenei’s order to relate the PMOI and Ashraf residents to the plot of Iranian regime’s Quds Force for assassination of Saudi ambassador, exploding foreign embassies, and killing of U.S. citizens. The U.S. officials denied this sheer lie aimed at setting the stage and justifying another massacre in Ashraf. A U.S. official said in this regard, “These reports originate solely with Iranian state media sources, which have a documented history of fabricating news stories.” Another official reiterated that Interpol had discovered no link between those charged for this terrorist plot and the PMOI, “calling the Iranian news report ‘pure fiction’”. (The New York Times- 20 October 2011)

Iranian Resistance in its statement No. 145 dated October 7th on ‘Camp Ashraf occupation’ announced, “In a bid to implement this policy, the GoI has assigned Labeed Abbawi, Iraqi deputy Foreign Minister, to exhaust all his efforts to hinder all measures by the UN various bodies with regard to Ashraf and to not participate in the committees formed by these bodies.” The Iranian regime has also obligated Maliki to drag al-Iraqiya state TV, like governmental radios and TVs in Iran, into the slander campaign against the PMOI and Ashraf. To this end, the Ashraf Committee in the Iraqi Prime Ministry tasked with suppression of Ashraf and the al-Iraqiya TV have been provided with all the stage-settings by the Iranian regime and its agents against Ashraf over recent years. International jurists have repeatedly condemned this TV channel for its censorship and biasedly broadcast of lies and falsifications, and have called it to respond internationally.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 20, 2011

Sunday, 16 October 2011

NCRI - During recent days, seven prisoners were hanged in prisons of Shahr Kord, Zabol, Qom and Varamin amounting to 62 executions in Iran in September. Twenty-three of them were executed on September 18 (22 in Gohardasht and Evin prisons and 1 in Ghazvin). At least 38 more prisoners have been executed secretly bringing the number of executions in September to 100. Among those executed were a 17 year old juvenile and two teens at ages of 19 and 20 who were under 18 at the time of their alleged offence.

Other suppressive measures of the mullahs’ regime during recent days have been lashing in public of prisoners in Tabas and southern cities for charges of theft, issuing brutal verdict of eye gouging for a young man, arbitrary arrests, assassination of opponents, repression of women under the fabricated banner of “Ifaf Project” (chastity), raiding residential houses using excuses such as rounding up satellite equipments and etc.

Resorting to such unbridled savagery is indicative of clerical regime’s failure to restrain the crisis that has engulfed this wicked regime in its totality and has escalated its fear of public anger explosion.

Reiterating that the inaction and silence of world community has emboldened this regime to continue and intensify its crimes, the Iranian Resistance urges the UN Secretary-General, Security Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN bodies as well as human rights advocates to condemn brutal executions in Iran and to ask for urgent measures to stop the growing trend of execution of prisoners.

The only way to confront this savage regime is to adopt an international firm policy against it and to isolate it from international community.

Emphasis on establishment of UN monitoring team in Ashraf under the UN and International supervision to ensure a humane solution

NCRI - In a letter to Ms. Navi Pilay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, 85 representatives of the Iraqi parliament from national fractions urged establishment of a permanent monitoring team in Ashraf under UN supervision, and emphasized on the necessity to reach a humane solution for camp Ashraf.

They stated in the letter:

"We have called to emphasize the need and importance of reaching a humane solution in camp Ashraf in the framework of international law and avoiding use of violence."

"The appropriate response to the risks that threaten Ashraf residents should be associated with the adoption of urgent measures."

"Therefore, we welcome appointment of the special representative of European Union for camp Ashraf by the EU foreign policy coordinator, Ms. Catherine Ashton."

"We expect the United Nations commissariat for refugees and the high commissionor for human rights that, by their understanding of the situation that were published in their last April report, take practical steps to prevent catastrophes in Ashraf."

In another part the letter, they stated:

"Recognition of legal status of Ashraf residents by the UN high commissioner for refugees who describes Ashraf residents as asylum seekers under international protection, is an admirable step and must be completed by further immediate steps."

"The UNHCR urged the Iraqi government to extend the deadline for closure of Ashraf so that they can process re-confirming the status of Ashraf residents who have been refugees in Iraq for a quarter of century."

"There are now serious concerns that the deadline is exploited to use violence against Ashraf residents and to violate the residents' rights."

"The requirement and practical assurance for a constructive process and for finding an international and humane solution is to deploy a UN monitoring team in Ashraf under your supervision as the UN high commissioner for human rights and also under supervision of the UN."

Friday, 14 October 2011

NCRI - The antihuman regime of mullahs hanged four youths on Wednesday morning, October 12 in Shahin Shahr prison. In the period of October 2nd to 11th, nine more prisoners were hanged in the cities of Isfahan, Kerman, Sari and Semnan. Also, at least 10 other prisoners were executed secretly during the same period in the prisons of Gohardasht, Orumieh, Kerman and Khorin in Varimin. This brings the number of executions to 23 over the past two weeks (Since October 1st).

In fear of escalation of popular uprising in Iran and worried of Arab Spring and destruction of its regional front, the mullahs’ regime has resorted to increasing repression inside the country and export of terrorism and fundamentalism abroad. World community’s silence and inaction has emboldened and encouraged this regime in continuation and escalation of its crimes.

Accordingly, the Iranian Resistance, calls on the UN Secretary-General, Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur for violation of human rights in Iran, and all human rights advocates to take binding and urgent measures against the medieval regime of mullahs to stop growing trend of repression in Iran.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 14, 2011

We alert the international community to a Srebrenica-style massacre of 3 400 Iranian opponents in Camp Ashraf, Iraq.

So far, 47 unarmed refugees have been killed and hundreds injured in two murderous attacks on Ashraf at the behest of the Iranian regime. The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, has said that the camp must be closed by the end of 2011, thus preparing the ground for a new massacre.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has declared that Ashraf residents are “asylum-seekers” who must benefit from international protection.

We support the mission of Ambassador Jean de Ruyt who was recently appointed as the EU’s special representative on Camp Ashraf. We demand that he visit Ashraf very soon to make his efforts for a peaceful solution to the crisis more effective.

We also demand:

- that the UNHCR reconfirms the political refugee status for the camp residents,

- that the UN Secretary General and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) station a constant monitoring team at Ashraf to secure the protection of the residents until they are all resettled in third countries,

- that the United States, the European Union and the United Nations make Iraq cancel the deadline to close Ashraf, end the siege and psychological torture by 300 loudspeakers, uninstall jamming and surveillance devices outside the camp and allow the residents free access to their lawyers and medical services.

Signed:

Total = 108EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s PartySOC: Socialist GroupALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for EuropeEDG: European Democratic GroupUEL: Group of the Unified European LeftNR: not registered in a group

The Iraqi suppressive committee, in coordination with Iranian regime’s embassy in Baghdad, is refraining from returning the body of Ms. Mehr-Sefat who passed away more than three weeks ago in Baghdad

NCRI - Ms. Zahra Hosseini Mehr-Sefat, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the leadership cadre of the PMOI, with a record of over 30 years of struggle within the ranks of the PMOI, passed away on September 21st following two heart surgeries in Al-Mukhtar Hospital in Baghdad.

Ms. Zahra Hosseini Mehr-Sefat, 55, was suffering from heart disease since 2001 and had undergone balloon and meshing operations. Her situation turned critical in the last two years during the medical siege of Ashraf.

Numerously, her calls to go to specialist medical centers were obstructed by the Iraqi Prime Ministry Committee charged with suppression of Ashraf residents.

Previously, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, had made an urgent call for the transfer of Ms. Zahra Mehr-Sefat to Europe for medical treatment. Mrs. Rajavi expressed her deep sorrow and offered her condolences to the family and comrades of this Ashraf resident. She pointed out: "Surely, if Zahra had free access to medical services or if her transfer to EU states would have been possible, she would have been alive today."

Although this heroine passed away on Wednesday morning, September 21, up to this day, the Maliki government has obstructed the return her body to Ashraf. This is despite numerous attempts and the many calls made by Ashraf residents and their informing of UN officials on the issue. This is a joint conspiracy with the Iranian regime's embassy in Baghdad to harass Ashraf residents as much as possible.

Physicians of Al-Mukhtar Hospital issued the death certificate on that same day of September 21. However, Iraqi functionaries, ordered by the Iraqi Prime Ministry Committee charged with suppression of Ashraf residents, transferred the body to a hospital in Baquba under the pretext of conducting legal procedures and issuing burial permit by a judge.

Following the issuance of the certificate by the hospital, the police officer who had transferred the patient from Ashraf to the hospital on an emergency basis, registered his statements with the judge. Subsequent to hearing the statements by the police officer, the judge issued the burial certificate. According to legal procedures, even if a judge determines that an autopsy is needed, the autopsy should be done on the same day or the day after. Therefore, the duration necessary for administrative and legal procedures is no more than two to three days.

However, in the case of Ms. Mehr-Sefat, contrary to social laws and Islamic norms, and despite daily calls by her relatives and the legal advisor of Ashraf residents to the police station, they postponed the handover of her body until October 9. The body was brought to the New Iraq Hospital located near Ashraf's entrance gate on October 9; however, contrary to normal procedures, they refused to handover the body to the relatives who had gone to the location of Iraqi forces accompanied by their legal advisor. Using the excuse that the deceased has no next to kin in Ashraf, the Iraqi Prime Ministry Committee charged with suppression of Ashraf residents, ordered the return of the body to Baquba.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the clerical regime's embassy has ordered the body to be transferred to Iran to be handed over to her "next of kin".

Mrs. Rajavi iterated that the United States and the United Nations officials should obligate the Iraqi government to hand over the seized body of this Ashraf resident to her relatives and friends in Ashraf.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 13, 2011

Thursday, 6 October 2011

NCRI - Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) is planning to dispatch a number of its agents from city of Urumieh in western Iran and its vicinity to further intensify the psychological torture of Ashraf residents. The agents will leave Urumieh for Iraq on buses on October 12, 2011.

The psychological torture of Ashraf residents has continued since early 2010 with some 300 loudspeakers placed in and around the camp by MOIS agents with full political and logistical support of the Iraqi Government and forces. They are used for blaring profanities and threatening the residents around the clock.

According to the reports from inside the Iranian regime, the Iraqi committee tasked with suppression of Ashraf, has already prepared the necessary facilities for the stay of Iranian regime's agents. Iraqi border guards have received the names of the agents so they would not face any difficulty entering Iraq.

Furthermore, in coming weeks a number of other agents will be dispatched from Fars province in southern Iran to Ashraf to replace returning agents.

While stipulating that the silence and inaction by the international community in this regard has persuaded the Iranian regime and the Iraqi forces to continue and intensify the blatant and systematic violations of international laws and conventions, the Iranian Resistance calls on United Nations, the U.S. and the EU for urgent action to end the psychological torture of Ashraf residents and calls for the permanent stationing of UN monitors in the camp to protect the residents and prevent the Iranian regime from carrying out its plans to annihilate them.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 5, 2011

NCRI - Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) is planning to dispatch a number of its agents from city of Urumieh in western Iran and its vicinity to further intensify the psychological torture of Ashraf residents. The agents will leave Urumieh for Iraq on buses on October 12, 2011.

The psychological torture of Ashraf residents has continued since early 2010 with some 300 loudspeakers placed in and around the camp by MOIS agents with full political and logistical support of the Iraqi Government and forces. They are used for blaring profanities and threatening the residents around the clock.

According to the reports from inside the Iranian regime, the Iraqi committee tasked with suppression of Ashraf, has already prepared the necessary facilities for the stay of Iranian regime's agents. Iraqi border guards have received the names of the agents so they would not face any difficulty entering Iraq.

Furthermore, in coming weeks a number of other agents will be dispatched from Fars province in southern Iran to Ashraf to replace returning agents.

While stipulating that the silence and inaction by the international community in this regard has persuaded the Iranian regime and the Iraqi forces to continue and intensify the blatant and systematic violations of international laws and conventions, the Iranian Resistance calls on United Nations, the U.S. and the EU for urgent action to end the psychological torture of Ashraf residents and calls for the permanent stationing of UN monitors in the camp to protect the residents and prevent the Iranian regime from carrying out its plans to annihilate them.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of IranOctober 5, 2011